For our last Orphan Drug Designation Request, FDA told us that there could be a 6 month review time. We did contact the Division and were told about the major backlog.
For years, the ocular surface was thought to be sterile because of the presence of an enzyme called lysozyme that destroys bacteria, antimicrobial peptides, and other factors that rid the eye of microbes that may land from the air (or from our fingers) onto the surface of the eye.